Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge Review: Reliable, Pricey
“Everything is fine about the ink. It prints good. The price is expensive.” That single line captures the core mood around the Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge: dependable output and easy use, with cost as the lingering sting. Across major retail feedback, the cartridge earns strong approval for print quality and longevity, but buyers also keep an eye on price and real-world yield. Verdict: a reliable OEM choice for compatible Pixma printers, 8.7/10.
Quick Verdict
The Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge is a Conditional Yes: yes if you want predictable Canon-quality text and don’t mind paying OEM prices; conditional if you’re chasing lowest cost per page.
| What Users Like/Dislike | Evidence from Users | Who It Matters To |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp, sharp black text | Best Buy shoppers repeatedly call the prints “excellent” and “crisp and vibrant.” | Students, home offices printing documents |
| Easy installation, no mess | Best Buy user Roberta wrote: “nice! easy to install. no mess no clean up.” | Casual home users, anyone swapping cartridges often |
| XL lasts longer than standard | Best Buy user cocob said it “lasts a long time,” and annak noted the XL “really lasts a long time.” | High-volume home users, small offices |
| Fast-drying ink | Best Buy user sandrac noted: “ink drys fast, no mess if you touch the paper right away.” | People printing handouts, kids’ homework |
| Price feels high | Best Buy user williamb said: “the price is expensive.” | Budget buyers |
| Limited printer compatibility | Provantage listing stresses it’s for TR7820/TS7720. | Anyone with older Pixma models |
Claims vs Reality
Canon markets the Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge as “exceptional quality,” “high yield,” and “easy to install.” Digging deeper into user reports, those promises mostly line up, but with a couple of practical caveats.
Claim 1: Exceptional quality, crisp sharp text.
Best Buy reviews echo that claim with consistent enthusiasm. Best Buy user maries described results as “crisp and vibrant,” even on specialty papers: “was able to print about 30 full page color art prints and 30 b&w prints… prints came out crisp and vibrant.” For users printing resumes, schoolwork, or invoices, this kind of repeatable clarity is the main reason they stick with OEM. Best Buy user harryw reinforced that reliability: “colors are vivid and they don't smear,” and even though that comment references the combo pack, it still speaks to the black cartridge’s role in clean output.
A recurring pattern emerged: customers see the Canon ink as a baseline they can trust. Best Buy user melt summed it up with a brand-loyal stance: “never can go wrong with buying the official branded canon ink… almost always guaranteed to yield what is advertised.”
Claim 2: High-yield XL lasts longer.
Official sources list the XL at about 400 pages. Multiple users don’t quantify pages, but their day-to-day experience matches the “longer-lasting” pitch. Best Buy user cocob said plainly: “lasts a long time and is very easy to install.” Best Buy user annak added context for regular printing: “the xl size really lasts a long time — perfect for regular use without constantly replacing ink.” While officially rated around 400 pages, users frame the yield in fewer swaps and steadier uptime, which matters more than strict counts for many households.
Still, some buyers are watching to see if it truly hits the advertised yield. Best Buy user williamb noted: “this is the first time i'm using the xl ink. i want to see how many pages the ink will print.” That caution doesn’t dispute the claim, but it shows that people test yield against price.
Claim 3: Easy to install, no mess.
Here, feedback is nearly unanimous. Best Buy user Roberta called the cartridges “easy to install. no mess no clean up.” Best Buy user pjg 05 echoed that: “these ink tanks are xl and are easy to install and use in my printer.” Even short reviews like Best Buy user connieh’s “easy to put ink in” reinforce the low-friction swap Canon advertises. For non-technical users, this is a key reason to stay with OEM rather than risk compatibility issues.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
One of the clearest cross-platform trends is that buyers feel confident about output quality. Best Buy reviewers routinely highlight sharp text and strong color pairing, but even black-only printing comes through as a strength. Best Buy user dave, while reviewing the printer bundle, still singled out the cartridge performance: “the quality of the print is excellent.” Best Buy user sunshine 62 agreed in a simpler way: “good ink. does good color in prints… the printing is good.” For home offices printing contracts or parents printing school packets, this consistency reduces reprints and frustration.
Ease of use is another near-universal win. The cartridge appears to be instantly recognized and simple to click in. Best Buy user harryw praised the process: “easy to install,” and Best Buy user senior cit described the experience of getting their setup running again: “exactly what i needed to restart my printer.” Users who print sporadically benefit here; they don’t have to relearn installation every time they run out.
Longevity is the third praise cluster, especially compared with standard-yield cartridges. Best Buy user cocob’s “lasts a long time” and Best Buy user annak’s “really lasts a long time” point to the same takeaway: XL means fewer replacements. For small offices that print weekly reports or families printing homework daily, that translates to less downtime and fewer urgent store runs.
Finally, OEM trust runs through many comments. Best Buy user donnas wrote: “always have used these, never had any issues. will continue to purchase.” Best Buy user marshallk leaned into brand loyalty: “canon ink is the best! … i will only use canon ink in my canon printer.” That kind of repeat purchasing suggests users see genuine cartridges as lower risk than third-party alternatives.
Common Complaints
The dominant complaint is price. Even satisfied buyers flag cost as the main tradeoff. Best Buy user williamb captured it cleanly: “it prints good. the price is expensive.” This matters most to heavy printers who feel the cost per page more sharply. While many accept OEM pricing for predictable results, the complaint shows up enough to be a true pattern.
Another recurring issue is compatibility limits. Official listings emphasize that the Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge fits select Pixma models (TR7820, TS7720). Users don’t complain loudly in reviews about mismatch, but the narrow compatibility in specs means the risk is front-loaded: if you own a different Pixma generation, you can’t use it. For shoppers upgrading printers, this is a practical downside compared with more widely compatible cartridges.
Environmental concerns also surface in community-style summaries. Provantage’s sentiment notes it “may not be the most environmentally friendly option” and highlights waste as a drawback. While not tied to a direct buyer quote, it reflects a broader worry: frequent cartridge replacement generates trash. Eco-conscious users may find this frustrating even if performance is strong.
Divisive Features
Value perception is split. Some buyers frame it as a fair deal for OEM reliability, especially when purchased on sale. Best Buy user timothyf said: “best price for ink for canon printer. the best time to buy friday or saturday after stock is replenished.” That comment suggests bargain-hunting can soften the cost critique.
Others see the same price as hard to justify if they print lightly or compare to remanufactured alternatives. Best Buy user williamb’s concern about expense, paired with their uncertainty about yield, shows how value depends on volume. Light users might feel they’re overpaying for XL capacity they won’t fully use, while heavier users may consider it worthwhile because they avoid constant swaps.
Trust & Reliability
Across verified retail feedback, reliability stories lean positive. Best Buy user donnas’ “never had any issues” and Best Buy user senior cit’s smooth restart experience indicate that genuine cartridges tend to avoid printer recognition problems. Provantage similarly frames it as “a reliable choice for those needing consistent printing performance.”
No scam warnings or counterfeit fears appear in the provided Trustpilot-style data; instead, the repeated emphasis is on official OEM trust and predictable results. Long-term durability anecdotes are indirect but supportive: Best Buy user melt said the official Canon ink is “almost always guaranteed to yield what is advertised,” implying steady performance over multiple purchases.
Alternatives
Only a few alternatives appear in the data, mostly third-party replacements or remanufactured options. A separate Amazon listing for Lomentics PG-285XL replacements claims “instantly recognized” performance, while remanufactured vendors like Swift Ink and Refillbay highlight lower price and similar yields.
User feedback in this dataset, however, is overwhelmingly centered on genuine Canon cartridges rather than these alternatives. That means there’s no direct cross-platform user story comparing OEM vs remanufactured here. The practical takeaway from available reports is that buyers choosing Canon OEM do so for reliability and print clarity, even while acknowledging the higher cost.
Price & Value
Pricing is where sentiment tightens. Official Canon channels list the cartridge around $45.99, and Best Buy’s two-pack is $95.99. Users don’t dispute the cost; they negotiate with it. Best Buy user timothyf recommends timing purchases for stock refreshes and likely promos: “best time to buy friday or saturday.”
Value depends on printing habits. Heavy users report the XL format as “lasting a long time,” making the higher sticker price easier to accept. For light users, the high cost per cartridge is more salient, and they may be tempted by remanufactured or compatible cartridges shown in the data. Still, many buyers express that OEM consistency is worth paying for, as in Best Buy user donnas’ repeat-buying behavior.
FAQ
Q: How many pages does the Canon PG-285 XL Black Ink Cartridge print?
A: Official listings rate it at about 400 pages at standard coverage. Users don’t always count pages, but several say the XL “lasts a long time,” suggesting real-world performance generally matches the high-yield expectation.
Q: Is installation easy for non-technical users?
A: Yes. Multiple Best Buy reviewers describe installation as simple and clean. Best Buy user Roberta wrote it’s “easy to install. no mess no clean up,” and others echo that the cartridge is quickly recognized by the printer.
Q: Does the ink dry quickly or smudge?
A: Users report fast drying and low smearing. Best Buy user sandrac said: “ink drys fast, no mess if you touch the paper right away,” and Best Buy user harryw noted prints “don't smear,” which helps with immediate handling.
Q: Is the cartridge worth the price?
A: It depends on your volume. Heavy users praise the XL longevity, while price-sensitive buyers call it expensive. Best Buy user williamb said the ink prints well but “the price is expensive,” showing value hinges on how much you print.
Q: Which printers are compatible with this cartridge?
A: It’s designed for select Canon Pixma models, especially TR7820 and TS7720. Official listings stress limited compatibility, so buyers should confirm their printer model before ordering.
Final Verdict
Buy if you’re a home office user, student, or family printing steady black-text documents and want OEM reliability with fewer cartridge swaps. Avoid if you print rarely and are highly price-sensitive, since even happy users flag cost. Pro tip from the community: watch for sales and restocks—Best Buy user timothyf says the “best time to buy” is right after stock refresh, when pricing is often better.
